United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and the Korean government has launched the Better Education for Africa’s Rise (BEAR III), to give young people in West Africa a better chance of accessing descent employment and promote capacity building for descent self-employment.
The joint initiative aims to strengthen Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system in the beneficiary countries.
Governments across the globe faces scarcity of labour in several economic domains due to aging populations, with about thirty percent of the population in some countries and a seventy five percent deficiency in highly trained personnel, this calls for concerted efforts to close the gap of unemployment in the region.
Speaking at the project launch in Abuja, Nigeria, the UN Resident Coordinator, Dr Walter Mulombo; who is also the World Health Organisation (WHO) Representative in Nigeria, said education is the suitable tool to attaining sustainable development.
Skills development for increased productivity and decent job is a priority that Africa countries should pursue as part of efforts to attain the Africa we want.
This is pertinent as it is evident that Africa’s population is on the rise, but the economic situation is not measuring up to the demands of this expansion.
This growing population are predominantly young people whose redundancy poses greater risk to the society.
It therefore becomes important to promote multidimensional response to meaningfully engage young people by exposing them to relevant skills that will result in decent job and economic growth.
In view of this reality, it is important to visit the various priority development programs developed/revised recently by African countries, and concretely establish the fact that they cannot deliver the ‘Africa we want’ if the TVET sector, which is a propeller of knowledge and skills development is not boosted”.
The Head of Office, UNESCO, Mr Abdourahamane Diallo, said promoting inclusive growth and giving chances to youngest people in Africa is essential in closing the skill gaps in the informal sector.
“Closing the skill gaps in the informal sector is essential, according to UNESCO, for promoting inclusive growth and giving chances to youngest people in Africa. UNESCO remains unwavering in its dedication to bridging education with the quickly changing workforce by advancing life and career skills. We aim to enable people to prosper in the 21st-century economy by offering opportunities for skilling, upskilling, and reskilling that are specific to Africa’s dynamic labor market landscape. UNESCO places TVET at the top of the education agenda 2030 (SDG4) and has identified three priority areas of intervention in Member States: i) Develop the skills of individuals for learning, work, and life; ii) Develop skills for inclusive and sustainable economies; iii) Develop skills for inclusive and peaceful societies. This work is done alongside bilateral and multilateral partners, institutions, governments, the private sector, and educators around the world.”
According to Sierra Leone’s Minister of Technical & Higher Education, Dr Haja Ramatulai Wurie, the success of the BEAR project is paramount to achieving the SDGs.
“In Sierra Leone the BEAR project pays particularly emphasis on supporting approach on which stands as the corner stones of our economic and flagship programme of our nation. With agriculture counting for 57% of our GDP and serving at the primary livelihood for 65% of household, the success of this strategy is paramount to our national development agenda.”
The BEAR project in Sierra Leone, is aimed to enhance productive, promote sustainability and create opportunities for global livelihood.
“It is imperative to recognise the digital role of our youthful population in driving social economic progress. So the BEAR project create the opportunity for us to explore. I wish to reiterate our sted fast commitment to supporting the implementation of the BEAR III project, together with esteemed partners and collaborators we will embark on transformative journey towards building resilience, empower individuals, strengthen communities and drive progress.”
Nigeria’s Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Maman, emphasized on the need for all stakeholders to take skill development as a priority.
“This program sits very within frame work if education 2030. Africa has already dedicated this year as the tear if education this also sits very well with it. What is actually the tool available for young ones, it is education. Education is most powerful tool to fighting poverty and ending any other problems that can affect progress and inclusiveness. And the area of education that we are talking about is the education that has relevance to the present economy of the country where the young can key into the present economic activities as vast as they are. For us as a government, skilling has made us already on the part way on that journey. The government of Nigeria addresses the issue of skilling as very central to its policy agenda. The ministry of education had adopted four policy implementation in the life of this government, data generation for us to know the information on the entire education sector in Nigeria, skilling the education system both at the formal level, and skilling those who can not go back to school. The ministry of education is the main driver for that through a number of its agencies.”
The third phase of the BEAR project will be implemented in four new beneficiary countries in West Africa, which includes Nigeria, Ghana.
Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast, from 2023 to 2027, building on the positive outcomes of the BEAR ii project that was implemented in five Eastern countries.
